Congress was quenching Pak's thirst, will create separate ministry for water: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that the Congress party was giving water to Pakistan, which was meant for India, and he promised to set up a separate ministry to address water-related issues.

"What is the Congress party's attitude towards water? The Congress party took a vote from you, but they kept giving the water of your share to Pakistan. You were thirsty and the Congress kept worrying about quenching Pakistan's thirst," the Prime Minister said while addressing an election rally here.

"If the Congress had stopped the water from our share according to the Indus Waters Treaty flowing into Pakistan, then Rajasthan would not have had the water shortage. Now after so many years, our government has started working on a dam project to check the water going to Pakistan. In the coming time, you will get water of your right, not Pakistan," he said.

The Prime Minister announced that a separate ministry will be created for water if the BJP is voted to power after the ongoing elections.

"In the coming five years, we want to work in the field of water as we have done in the field of electricity. For water, we will create 'Jal Shakti Mantralay.' We will work towards giving water to drought-affected areas through technology including making use of sea water," he said.

Highlighting the success of BJP-led government, Prime Minister Modi said that his government emphasised on the skill, scale and speed in implementing welfare schemes.

"Our government not only started the schemes but also implemented them as well. Otherwise, we have seen such governments which started schemes but failed to implement these. Many schemes were pending for decades. This is why we emphasised on skill, scale and speed in our working culture," he said.

"Everyday 70,000 people are getting a free gas connection. Under Saubhagya scheme, around 50,000 houses are being electrified. Under the PM Awas Yojana, more than 11,000 houses are being constructed. Around 10,000 people are receiving treatment benefit under the Ayushman scheme," he said.

Modi also attacked Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in the state for not waiving farm debts as promised by them during the Assembly elections.

"Big people had been crying here saying the farmers' debts will be waived off within 10 days after coming to power. Have the debts been waived off here? But it is being said everywhere that the debt of farmers in Rajasthan was waived off," he said.

Speaking further about farmers, he said: "Farmers have lathicharged for urea. In the past five years, no problem of urea was there in any part of the country. But as soon as the Congress formed the government here, the batteries of middlemen were charged again."

Rajasthan, where 25 Parliamentary seats are at stake, will go to polls in the fourth and fifth phase on April 29 and May 6 respectively. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.